Summer Garden Mince Pie

We try to mix it up around here and write about different foods every week… but something strange happened on the way to this week’s post. We got so caught up in making celery desserts that we couldn’t resist experimenting with one last pie… and it was so good we just have to tell you about it.

You know how mincemeat pie is so delicious? And we try to ignore the fact that it has meat in it because we’re really just in it for the apples and raisins? That’s where this pie comes in – We’ve taken the meat out entirely and “beefed” it up with summer fruits and vegetables, and it’s as delicious of a pie as you’ve ever had; plus it’s purely vegetarian.

Let us know if you try it! We’re making it again this week with a variety of different summer fruits, so we’ll make a note in the comments if we stumble on another delicious combination.

Summer Garden Mince Pie

½ cup seedless raisins

½ cup brandy

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

3 large fresh celery ribs, chopped

1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped

8 to 10 dried figs, chopped

½ cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. flour

Pie crust for a double-crust 9” pie

1. Place the raisins in the brandy and allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes,

2. In a large saucepan, combine the brandy-raisin mixture with the apples, celery, cherries, figs, brown sugar, and spices. Over low heat, bring the mixture to a slow bubble and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the flour, and set aside.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Fit the bottom crust into a pie pan and poke a few holes in the bottom with a fork. Pour the mince mixture into the bottom pie crust. Place the top crust on the pie and prick holes in the top with a fork. Seal the top and bottom crusts with a fork and a small amount of water.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and pie is bubbly. Makes 1 pie to serve 8 to 10.